Journal article
Functional alteration of red blood cells by a megadalton protein of Plasmodium falciparum
FK Glenister, KM Fernandez, LM Kats, E Hanssen, N Mohandas, RL Coppel, BM Cooke
Blood | Published : 2009
Abstract
Proteins exported from Plasmodium falci- parum parasites into red blood cells (RBCs) interact with the membrane skel- eton and contribute to the pathogenesis of malaria. Specifically, exported proteins increase RBC membrane rigidity, de- crease deformability, and increase adhe- siveness, culminating in intravascular se- questration of infected RBCs (iRBCs). Pf332 is the largest (>1 MDa) known ma- laria protein exported to the RBC mem- brane, but its function has not previously been determined. To determine the role of Pf332 in iRBCs, we have engineered and analyzed transgenic parasites with Pf332 either deleted or truncated. Compared with RBCs infected with wild-type para- sites, mutants lac..
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Awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank Prof Leann Tilley (La Trobe University) for providing equinatoxin II and Dr Catherine Braun- Breton, (University Mont-pellier 2, Montpellier, France) for providing the mouse anti-SBP1 antibodies. We acknowledge the Australian Red Cross Blood Service for providing human red blood cells for malaria culture. We acknowledge financial support from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia and the National Institutes of Health (grants DK32094 and AI44008). B. M. C. is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow.